Battle of Holbrook
The Battle of Holbrook was the second major battle in the NCR's advance along Interstate 40 in eastern Arizona. It also marked the first first meeting between NCR forces and the remnants of the Union of the Ute and Navajo Nations, who were in the midst of a campaign to retake their lands from Caesar's Legion, which had been weakened by earlier battles in the NCR Arizona Offensive. The battle would mark the start of an alliance that would allow the UNU to take back the heavily fortified Legion positions at Gallup and Grants, New Mexico, the last Legion-controlled cities in their territory. Initial Assault and Encirclment Like the Battle of Winslow before, the NCR 4th Independent Brigade won the Battle of Holbrook by taking advantage of the relatively flat desert terrain to allow cavalry and vehicles to quickly maneuver and encircle the city. After Legion positions had been attacked by NCR aircraft for four days previously, the 4th Brigade advanced toward Holbrook. At 0800 Hours on October 9th, 2282, the 4th Brigade positioned themselves to the west of Holbrook and set up their artillery. By 0830 hours, the truck-mounted Standard Artillery Rockets, which required minimal prep before firing had launched their first salvo of rockets, hitting Legion positions on the west side of town. The towed 155mm guns joined the barrage 45 minutes later, at 0915 hours. By 1000 hours, the fortified Legion positions surrounding the town had been destroyed. At this point, the ground assault was launched. The NCR assault was split into three groups, the main force, consisting of roughly 75% of the tanks, as well as mechanized infantry, were tasked with attacking the main Legion defenses in the central city, while a northern attack force targeted the remains of the Holbrook Airport, and the south attack force targeted the pre-war municipal complex, which was used as a slave market, with the former county jail serving as a slave-holding area. The northern force reached the airport very quickly, by 1015 hours, and began encountering light resistance. The small number of tanks and IFVs were used to demolish structures holding Legion troops, including the control tower. The southern attack force reached the municipal complex at with similar speed to the first force, reaching the site by 1015 hours, at which point they started taking fire from Legion positions near the municipal complex, including a 105mm howitzer mounted on a small butte south of the complex, which was used by the Legion as an anti-tank gun. The first shot fired from the Legion gun missed its intended target, an M56 Main Battle Tank, and destroyed two NCR trucks, killing 7 infantry and leaving another seven wounded. Before it could fire again, several NCR tanks and other vehicles targeted its position with heavy gunfire, detonating a pile of reserve shells that killed the crew and destroyed the gun. After the AT gun, other Legion positions, including snipers, machine guns, and rocket launchers were destroyed. As NCR infantry advanced on the municipal complex, clearing many of the outbuildings, a group of about 40 Legion infantry and two pre-war trucks exited the east side of the complex in an attempt to retreat to the former county jail. NCR cavalry, armed trucks, and two M51 IFVs broke off from the main force to intercept the retreating Legion troops. The two Legion trucks were destroyed, one by a round from an M51 IFV, and the second by an NCR technical (armed pick-up) equipped with a Gatling laser. The majority of the infantry were also cut down by the NCR infantry and cavalry, most by gunfire, but there are at least three reports of NCR cavalry using their sabers to cut down fleeing Legion troops. When the county jail was seized, the NCR found the remains of over 200 dead slaves. Based on the evidence, it is believed that Legion forces were ordered to execute the slaves rather than allow them to be liberated. The Legion forces holding the jail initially attempted to do this by beheading in order to save ammunition, but when the slaves realized what happened, they revolted, overcoming and killing several Legionaries, at which point Legion troops with shotguns and submachine guns entered and mowed down the group. In addition to the dead, 14 survivors of what would become known as the Holbrook Massacre were found, nine of them hiding in a closet. It is believed that the Legion troops holding the municipal complex fled as they believed that the NCR troops would kill them in retaliation for the massacre- while NCR troops were ordered to take all prisoners into custody, but there were cases of reprisal killings. NCR officer had a tendency to look the other way in these cases, particularly if the Legion forces in question were responsible for particularly heinous crimes. Central attacking force engaged Legion defenses on the west side of Holbrook starting at about 1015, using the firepower of their tanks to demolish Legion-occupied structures. In spite of the firepower, in force advanced far more slowly, being forced into heavy urban combat as they advanced toward the center of the town. As they moved deeper into the town, it became more difficult for armor to maneuver, meaning tanks were reduced to long-range fire support, while infantry were forced to painstakingly clear out the ruined town. The urban combat in downtown Holbrook resulted in by far the heaviest casualties of the battle. Contact with the UNU The recently reinstated Union of the Ute and Navajo Nations first discovered on October 8th, 2282, when the UNU picked up radio signals from the NCR forces. A small group of UNU scouts riding pre-war motorcycles sighted the NCR forces in the morning of October 9th, but did not make contact for fear of being mistaken for enemies and fired on. The first contact was made radio after the scouts reported back at 1100 hours. The UNU offered to provide support for the NCR. General Hsu was initially reluctant to make use of the UNU guerillas, who were inexperienced in heavy urban combat, having achieved most of their victories in surprise attacks against smaller Legion forces. In the end, however, Brigadier General Hsu approved of UNU President Charles Asaayi's offer to destroy the Legion forces holding the Visitor Center of Petrified Forest National Park and the town of Chambers and Sanders further to the west. Hsu agreed, and, at 1220 hours, a force of 12 surviving pre-war vehicles left Window Rock with about 150 UNU fighters. At the same time, a UNU Piper Fusion Cub light plane took off from Window Rock airstrip after getting permission to enter the airspace around Holbrook by the NCR Air Force. The light plane sighted a column of about 100 Legion infantry marching along I-40, the last remnants of the Sanders garrison, sent as last ditch attempt to reinforce Holbrook. The aircraft attacked by dropping four small bombs made from mortar shells on the column, before strafing it with its wing-mounted miniguns. Having expended its limited ammunition supply on the first pass, the Fusion Cub dropped the a payload of improvised flechettes- simple modified nails dropped from a canister under the fuselage, which would hit the ground with force comparable to .50 caliber bullet. The air attack scattered the Legion troops and killed 43 of them and wounded at least 30 others. Many of the wounded would be abandoned in the desert by their fellows and die of blood loss or dehydration in the coming hours. The at 1310 hours, the UNU ground forces reached Sanders and unload their infantry, which include rocket gunners and snipers armed with .50 BMG anti-materiel rifles. The roughly 40 Legion troops remaining in Sanders had holed up in a pre-war grain elevator, which they used as an improvised fortification. The UNU troops responded by forming line about a 700 meters north of the grain elevator. The UNU snipers targeted the Legion defenders, prioritizing Legion snipers, rocket gunners, and machine gunners. The UNU technicals provided suppressive fire as they troops advanced forward, with snipers and rocket gunners ready to target any new Legion threats that appeared. By 1340 hours, the UNU forces had cleared the grain elevators and the rest of Sanders. In the battle for Sanders, the UNU lost twelve soldiers and a single technical disabled by an anti-materiel rifle round to the engine, while the Legion forces were annihilated almost to a man. At 1350 hours, the UNU fast attack group left Chambers and attacked the pre-war hamlet, which was defended only by a handful of Legion troops, many of them survivors of the air attack on the reinforcement force. The Legion survivors surrenders soon after the UNU fired their first burst of machine gun fire at the abandoned travel stop they were holed up in. Capture of Downtown By 1200 hours, the NCR center force has cleared much of western Holbrook. By this point, the northern and southern forces had begun their assault on the central city from the flanks, supported by tanks from the central force which maneuvered around the city proper to support the flank attacks. With the NCR forces surrounding them in all directions and, by this point, the UNU force advancing on Sanders and Chambers to intercept any retreating Legion troops, some of the Legion surrendered, however, many of the defenders fought "like a cornered Bighorner", as one NCR soldier said. In the heavy urban fighting, which lasted for most of the day, the NCR and allied force made heavy use of artillery, tanks, and Vertibird gunship support, however, in the end, the NCR forces were forced to oust the Legion forces from the downtown area in heavy street-to-street fighting that resulted in heavy fighting on both sides. The last Legion remnants holed up in an area of downtown consisting of a few pre-war churches and a building that once housed the public library. These last remnants were cleared at around 1530 hours. By this point, the UNU forces advancing from the west had taken the Petrified Forest Visitor Center and the hamlet of Sun Valley immediately to the west with little resistance. By 1800 hour, Holbrook was officially declared cleared Aftermath Much like in other battles in Eastern Arizona, Holbrook was freed from Legion control, but the city, which had a escaped direct impacts of the Great War of 2077 was devastated in the battle, particularly the heavily defended downtown. The exact number of civilian casualties are unknown, but estimated to be at least 100. This destruction would be at least partially repaired using aid money provided by the NCR, but full recovery would take a decade. The Battle of Holbrook also marked the first cooperation between the NCR and the Union of the Ute and Navajo Nations. The NCR would pledge to aid the UNU in taking back their remaining Legion-occupied territory, most notably the city of Gallup, former New Mexico, however, they would not be able to provide that support until after the end of the Siege of Two Sun, in February 2283. Category:Battles Category:Events